The Last Huntsman
by LightDrksoul
Summary: Remnant has enjoyed a thousand years of peace after the last huntsman, Jaune Arc, ended Salem. Now a millennium later, Ruby Rose has accidentally wakened the knight and Queen of the Grimm. The huntsmen and huntresses must return if Remnant is to survive the coming storm.
1. Chapter 1

A Legend's Truth! A New Generation!

 _General Jaune Arc calmly walked towards an enormous castle and cut down any Grimm that was foolish enough to get too close. His white armor, once marked with the golden Arc insignia, was now tattered and blood-soaked. The handsome young man of seventeen had long blonde hair that covered his deep sapphire eyes. He had a noble air that surrounded him and the legendary blade beside him that had cut down thousands of the infernal Grimm._

" _Jaune, I know where you're going and why you're going alone." A boy with black hair and silver eyes stood in front of the knight, holding a greatsword out at him._

 _"Then you know why I can't have you stopping me here Ozpin. Those men have given up everything already and I won't have any more blood on my hands." Jaune pulled out his blade and rushed Ozpin. The blond quickly slashed and jabbed, trying to force his way past the young silver eyed warrior. His results were fruitful as his opponent was forced on the defensive. Ozpin could see Jaune was holding back a great deal, even with the relentless attacks._

 _"Get out of the way Ozpin! This will end tonight! I will defeat her!" Ozpin pushed against the knight to no avail, before jumping back and landing several jabs with his cane._

 _"Jaune, you are a general and leader to these men and they will need you tomorrow for the final attack! If you run off only to fail, then we could lose everything we've been fighting for!" Jaune knocked the cane away and kicked Ozpin to the ground. "You can't do this alone… please, old friend…"_

 _Jaune held his sword to Ozpin's throat and stared at his defeated opponent's eyes. Jaune sighed as he put his blade back in its sheath and held his hand out to his oldest friend. "Come on then. If you're really that adamant about stopping me, then the least you could do is come with me and end this witch once and for all. With the two of us, she won't even stand a chance." Ozpin nodded and grabbed his hand, glad that his friend accepted his help. As they traveled ahead, Jaune spared a glance at the young raven-haired man. "Ozpin, you once said that there was only one way to beat this witch and I hope you will be able to do it. To see a world free of the Grimm, could you imagine a place like that?"_

 _Ozpin looked away and nodded. "Right… I will be able to end her, but you need to hold her off. A world where people can be safe is all you have always wanted, right?"_

 _"Yes, I would give anything for that." Ozpin stared at Jaune and nodded at his resolve as they approached the castle, silently killing any Grimm that stood in their path. Ozpin thought of the centuries that he had lived on Remnant and throughout them all he had never met someone as dedicated to eliminating the Grimm as Jaune. The boy had cheated his way into the army and was quickly given the chance to show off his rather unorthodox way of strategy. It was him that made it possible for the Remnant United Army to finally fight their way to the castle of Salem herself. They entered and floor after floor of Grimm fell as the warriors slaughtered Beowolves, Death Stalkers, King Taijitu, Ursa Major and the occasional Minor, and even new kinds of Grimm; but each fell all the same. They reached the top of the tower as daybreak began._

 _At the top of the tower, a tall figure stood facing away from the two males. When the figure turned around, Jaune was appealed at the sight. The witch's skin was a deathly pallor, covered with deep red and purple veins that ran up her arms and face. The sclerae of her eyes were jet black and her irises glew red. She also had a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead. Dressed in a very long black robe with red designs resembling eyes. The witch also wore a ring resembling an insect on her right index finger and has white hair formed into a bun with six offshoots from which ornaments are suspended. She sneered at them as they approached._

 _"Generations of mortals have attempted to climb my tower but only you two have ever made it. I heard of you, the greatest of the Remnant's United Army and its last hope. The white knight, Jaune Arc. Then there is you." The Queen of the Grimm, Salem, said as she faces Ozpin. "You have led countless mortals to their deaths, how much more blood will it take for you to give up?" Jaune had heard enough and ran at her._

 _Ozpin had made a plan when they were coming up the tower. The plan was to wear down the queen by switching out whenever one was knocked away, giving her no time to rest. The plan fell into motion as a minute after engaging her, Jaune was knocked aside and Ozpin jumped in the moment that happened and knocked her back. The fight went on with Salem becoming more desperate with her attacks and Ozpin and Jaune slowly losing their energy. Two hours of continuous battle passed with Salem using every Grimm ability she had in her arsenal, just as Jaune was preparing for the final attack. He was bleeding from a gash on his head and his right eye was shut tightly, His left arm was completely useless, his armor was nearly broken in two, but he still held his sword back and ran at Salem._

 _Ozpin watched as Salem summoned dozens of sharp veins and they all tore into Jaune's boy, but the boy ran through them. It had to be now! Ozpin slammed his cane into the ground and closed his eyes, concentrating all of his aura and power into his eyes. Jaune shouted as he stabbed into Salem's chest, but earned a hand through his own. Ozpin opened his silver eyes and focused his power to the tip of his cane, which he aimed at Salem. An enormous blast of white hit the weakened queen and a layer of white crystal encased her and Jaune. Ozpin fell to his knees and stared at the imprisoned demon in satisfaction, but with regret and sadness at his closest friend._

 _"I'm sorry Jaune… I won't let the world forget…"_

 _. . ._

"And so it was nearly a millennium ago that the last of the huntsmen, Jaune Arc, used the legendary Crocea Mors to slay the Queen of the Grimm and bring peace to the land of Remnant." Ruby yawned as she looked around the classroom of her history teacher. Ruby had always loved the story of the last knight, but hearing it also made her sad. She remembered her mother telling her the story and wishing that she could be a hero like Jaune, but there was no need for heroes anymore. The Grimm no longer were able to be created without Salem and were nearly extinct.

"What happened to Jaune?" A common question that Ruby had asked when she was little.

"No one truly knows as all records of him stop there, but it is said that the wartime was too much for the boy and he went on to fight more of the Grimm alone. Jaune Arc and the brave men and women of the United Army were able to ensure us a peaceful future where humans have expanded and flourished in all fields."

"Except in military might." Ruby stated as she ate a cookie her mother made her.

"While I would appreciate Ms. Rose to raise her hand, I agree with her statement as with peace comes laziness. The United Army was disbanded and now each kingdom trains their soldiers for fighting against each other."

The class bell rang and the students made their way to the buses, but Ruby decided to walk and think about things. Ruby Rose was two years away from attending her sister's school of Beacon, but she still didn't see the point as she still wanted to be a huntress. Those very few that did train in weaponry and tried to be huntsmen found that there was barely any work for them, other than mercenary work, but Ruby wanted to fight the evil Grimm that was still out there. She decided that she should just enjoy the peace and hurry home to her father and mother. Ruby unlocked her door and found a note that said that her parents would be gone for the weekend.

"Well, I hope we still have cookie dough." Ruby whispered to herself as she couldn't cook to save her life, but she found she had amazing skill for baking. She had just finished her first batch when her sister entered looking proud. "Y-Yang?! What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in Vale!"

The older blond pouted at the welcome. "I wanted to visit my lil' sis and make her an epic deal!" The young rose deadpanned at her sibling as she took off her oven mitts.

"I'm not doing your homework." Yang jerked back in surprise, before waving her hands in the negative.

"No, not that kind of deal! I have made some friends and I want you to come to Beacon for the weekend to see everyone and join in for something fun we planned."

Ruby bit her lip and looked off to the side. "I don't know. I'm not so great with strangers and what if we get caught and I get sent home alone?"

"It would give you the chance to use Crescent Rose." Yang said as she chewed a cookie. Ruby disappeared and returned in a flash of rose petals holding her pride and joy. The scythe was one she made with the help of her Uncle Qrow as he was one of the only ones that carried a weapon in day and age that weren't soldiers or police. Ruby called her uncle 'the last true huntsman' because he hunted Grimm and protected the people, but everyone else in Patch called him a crazy drunk. "Come on then, the bullhead will be here soon."

"So, what is this grand plan that allows me to use my baby?" Ruby asked as she changed into her favorite outfit and took her cookies. "I thought Beacon gave up on fighting."

"They did, but my friends and I decided that Beacon has to have some dirty secrets out in its forest somewhere. This place was back in that knight's time where it trained kids to be fighters, I bet that there are some Grimm or something." Ruby wasn't fully convinced, but she thought that it could be fun to explore.

"Who are these friends?" Ruby said as they boarded the Bullhead.

"Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. Blake is a quiet, a little mysterious, and always reading a book. Nora is loud, weird, a little out there, and a huge lover of pancakes. Ren is her best friend and is the opposite in every way but the pancake thing, I think he is some kind of ninja."

Ruby nodded and they caught up as the ride ended in the city of Vale. They boarded one more Bullhead and were standing on the path to Beacon, recognized by the statue of Jaune Arc in front of the school. They waited for a few minutes and three people came walking towards them, each had a color scheme going for them and had weapons! Ruby ran over and, with stars in her eyes, asked if she could see their weapons in action. Nora happily showed off her grenade launcher, 'accidently' shooting into the forest below, and her hammer. Ren had something more simple, but just as deadly with twin pistols that had blades attached. Blake's was a grappling hook and a knife, but before she could show more Yang grabbed her sister and led everyone to the top of a cliff.

"Yang, why are we here?" Blake said as Yang moved everyone to certain spots that she had marked with chalk.

"You see my dear Blakey, Nora and I discovered something about this here cliff from back when this place taught huntsmen. I think this must have been some kind of test and the game is to simply find each other."

"What do you think you're all doing?" Two girls came walking and the one who spoke had her arms crossed. Yang groaned as she recognized the voice and attitude.

"Schnee, we are just trying to have some fun something I don't think you could have if you tried." Weiss glared and took one more step towards them, right onto a chalk marker. "Oh Pyrrha, could you step onto that square for me?" Pyrrha nodded and listened as Weiss ranted about not ignoring her. "Nora, if you could do the honor." Yang and Nora smirked as Nora pushed a button on her scroll, launching everyone into the woods. Ruby felt amazing as she flew and used her scythe to land safely.

The forest was filled with life, but unlike Patch, they also held the scars of the Grimm had lived there. Ruby was impressed as she explored the woods and found a cave. A strange feeling inside pushed her to enter and inside was a grey door that had the Arc symbol in the middle. Ruby tried to attack it with her scythe, but the blade and the bullets didn't as much as scratch the door. She was about to leave and find everyone else to show her discovery, but it was as if the wind spoke to her.

"Touch the door…" Ruby looked at her hand and touched the metal as it glowed silver and opened. The cave was empty, except for the statue in the middle of two figures fighting. Ruby walked closer to the statue and realized that one of the fighters seemed to be a demon woman and the other a knight. The statue seemed to be alive in a way as if it were real. Ruby reached towards the knight and touched his chest, where the demon woman seemed to have stabbed him through with her hand. The moment she touched the crystal, it began to dissolve and vanish before her eyes.

"Oops…" Ruby stepped back as the knight breathed and fell to the ground. The demon woman screamed and threw the offending blade to the ground before turning into black smoke and escaping. Ruby rushed to the fallen knight and saw that his wound wasn't healing, he hadn't awakened his aura. "Damn, what were the words Uncle Qrow used for me?" She thought back to her as a child and her uncle saying that all you have to do is trust that you'll know the words when you need them. She breathed deeply and spoke from her soul.

 _"For it is in each other's hearts that we achieve immortality. Through triumph and pain, we become pillars of hope and saviors to those that need us. Through each other, we reach our destinies and more. I now bind your soul to mine and free you from the grasp of death…"_ Ruby finished as Jaune glowed and the aura began to heal the boy. She felt drained and fell next to him as she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

. . .

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the Beacon tower and Ozpin fell to the ground in shock, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"She's back…"


	2. Chapter 2

A Rude Awakening! Old Pain!

'Where is my sister?!" Yang Xiao Long shouted as she beat her fists against the metal door relentlessly. Behind her, her friends didn't even attempt to stop her as they were all feeling that this reaction was normal for the worried blond.

"Punching a door won't help anyone, there is something more to this." Weiss stated as she sat at the interrogation table with everyone else, but she looked to be thinking.

Yang rolled her eyes. "How would you know if there was something different _Heiress_? I bet this is the first time you ever have gotten in trouble." Weiss opened her mouth to fight back, but closed it and lowered her head. "Thought so."

"Yang." Lie Ren rubbed his temples as he looked calmly at the brawler. "Your sister is the most likely reason we are in this current predicament." Ren held up his hand when she was about to start yelling at him. "I am not saying this is her fault, I am saying that she might have seen or touched something she wasn't meant to and the school grabbed all of us to see what we know."

Yang took a deep breath and relaxed in a chair next to Nora. "What could she have seen and why wouldn't she be with us?"

It was Pyrrha that answered. "If your sister did see something that she wasn't meant to then they know she saw it, but they aren't sure who else did. I wouldn't want my secrets coming out."

Nora leaned back in her chair. "They also took our weapons so I guess that it must be serious."

"I must say that your intuitions ring correct." Everyone turned as two people entered, the silent blond was the one that had caught all the kids and took their weapons. Vice principal, Ms. Goodwitch. The other was a man with white hair, but no one knew who he was. "Where are my manners? I am Principal Ozpin."

All the kids were stunned and shared frightened looks, no student had seen Ozpin before. Everyone guessed that he didn't really exist and Goodwitch was the real Principal, but here he was and he wanted to talk to them.

"Where is my sister?" Yang asked in a small voice.

"Do not worry Miss Xiao Long, your sister is perfectly safe and was just a bit exhausted when we found her." Ozpin placed a few cups of tea and sweets on the table as Ms. Goodwitch left the room. "I need to know why you kids were out there today, you are not in trouble but I need to know."

Yang looked at everyone and spoke up. "It was my idea… I wanted to play a game and dragged everyone into it."

Blake put down the book she was reading. "None of us really complained so it's our faults too." Ren and Nora nodded in agreement.

"It wasn't our fault, we just kind of got dragged into the craziness." Weiss said as she checked her nails and pointed at Pyrrha and herself.

Ozpin gave a small smile to each one. "I see. I am afraid that I have to tell you that Ms. Rose had found something during her search-" A loud slam came from down the hall and Goodwitch opened the door.

"Ozpin! He's awake!"

. . .

Jaune slowly opened his eyes for what felt like the first time in a long time. His body felt strange as if it went unused for a long time. He was in a blindingly white room and strange beeping noises surrounded him, but then the feeling of something inside his body shocked him to consciousness. He nearly screamed when he saw the strange wires that were inside his body, but he just ripped them out and fell to the ground.

"Hey!" Jaune instinctively leaped at the voice and elbowed the doctor in the face, throwing him at a nearby wall and running out of the room. Blood was seeping from his open wounds, but he found that something was closing them quickly. There were lights everywhere and people dressed in strange clothes with weird devices in their hands. Jaune ran and pushed anyone that stood in his way, but he found himself lost in the maze of hallways.

"Whoa, hey, calm down okay blondie?" Jaune stopped as Yang stood in his way, but when he reached for his sword it was gone. He turned in the other two directions, but Ren and Nora had taken one and Weiss and Pyrrha had the other. He was cornered. "Look, I know you're confused but we can't let you just go around slamming people into walls, I do that."

Jaune brought up his fists up and prepared to fight Yang, but someone came from behind her and made him freeze. It was a small girl with black red-tipped hair and silver eyes that brought back memories of Ozpin sending an attack at him and Salem.

"I know that you're scared and that you're confused on where you are, but you have to let us help you. My name is Ruby, Ruby Rose and I hope we can be friends." Ruby walked towards Jaune and slowly brought him into a hug, but the boy fell to his knees weakened from his run.

"I-I don't know what is happening? This isn't my home…"

Ruby messed with his hair, but couldn't help herself from asking what was on everyone's mind. "Who are you?"

Jaune was fainting and answered. "Jaune… Arc…" He went limp in her arms and everyone was stunned as Ozpin grabbed Jaune and began to take him back to the hospital wing.

"All of you, back to the interrogation room, we need to talk about what you just heard." All the children nodded and were led by Goodwitch to the room, but Ruby stared at Jaune as he was carried away.

. . .

Salem fell to the ground and looked around as she tried to call out for the Grimm, but felt that they had all been destroyed. It was impossible for all her creations to have been killed in the short time that she had been imprisoned, but how long has she been sealed? She stood and nearly fell as her body was weakened with time and the lack of negative feelings were affecting her power.

The sound of laughter and joy came closer as a little girl ran up and stared at her in fear, that slight fear made Salem smile. She grabbed the girl and pulled her close.

"Tell me little one, where am I and what do you know of the Grimm?"

"Y-you're in Vale… The Grimm were bad monsters from a long time ago, my brother told me of them and the hero that stopped them."

"Who…" Salem's voice deepened with rage.

"J-Jaune Arc…" Salem's eyes glowed, but she calmly rubbed the girl's hair.

"What is your name girl?"

"Z-Zuzu Rainart" Salem nodded and ordered Zuzu to take her to this brother of hers…

. . .

Ozpin sipped at his coffee as all the students stared at him to begin his explanation. "I trust that you all know the story of Jaune Arc, many called him the last of the huntsmen and the greatest of them all. According to the story, Jaune killed Salem and brought peace to the land of Remnant, but the legend was a lie. Jaune was one of the best heroes of his time and was able to match the Queen of the Grimm herself, but he was not the real last huntsmen. Even after the defeat of Salem, there still were the main schools that taught huntsmen up to hundred years after his victory and Beacon for even longer. However, we all count him as the last because he ended the biggest reason for the requirement of huntsmen."

Ren raised his hand. "If you don't mind me asking, how do you know the legend was a lie?"

Ozpin smiled at the observant boy. "My ancestor was the one that sealed away Jaune and Salem and Ms. Rose accidentally awakened them."

Weiss stood with fear in her eyes. "Are you saying that Salem is free on Remnant?! We have to tell people!" Ozpin held a hand up and began again.

"Salem is too weak to do anything alone, but she will be quick to realize what has happened and when she does she will be quick to rebuilding her Grimm army. The biggest problem is that Jaune is now our best hope at defeating the Grimm before they are able to rise again, but this new time and the time he has lost seems to have taken a toll on him. We need the huntsmen and huntresses to return if we are going to win, you all have promise and I would ask Ms. Rose to become Jaune's partner."

Ruby jumped and hid her blushing face in her hood. "W-why me?"

Ozpin smiled. "You have a simple, more honest soul. You also have a certain specific feature that the boy can connect with and that should allow him to accept your friendship easier than the others. We can not tell anyone of Salem or the kingdoms will be thrown into panic and the Grimm will be created much easier. I will have to try to make the councils of each kingdom see sense and start training huntsmen again, but they will want proof of not only the Grimm but Jaune also. If any of you wish to back out, now would be the time."

All the kids looked at each other and nodded. "We're ready." Yang said as she stood and punched her fist into her hand.

Ozpin smiled in an amused manner. "No, you're not but you will be."

. . .

Jaune woke again and was met by a man with white hair and glasses and the girl with the silver eyes. "Where am I? Who are you?!" Jaune noticed that his wrists were shackled to the chair he was in.

"I am a friend Jaune and I have all the answers, but I can't have you running off again, please relax and tell us what you remember." Ozpin said calmly and drank from his cup. He pulled out Crocea Mors and laid it on the table with his armor.

Ruby watched the confused warrior relax a bit and her heart reached out to him as he gave her a dejected look. "I remember that I am Jaune Arc, general of the Remnant United Army and I am a huntsman. I cheated my way into the army with a friend at the age of fifteen and we rose through the ranks until I led our men and women to castle of the Queen of the Grimm. I attempted to attack her alone but my closest friend and partner, Ozpin Spero, joined me and we climbed the tower. At the top, we faced Salem herself and the fight lasted hours before I was finally able to stab her, but earned a stab of my own. All I remember is that Ozpin sending a blast of power our way and my body freezing over, my last sight was his silver eyes." Jaune looked into Ruby's and she blushed a bit and looked away.

Ozpin nodded. "I'm a descendant of Ozpin and according to journals made by him, I am afraid to tell you that the blast was his endgame against Salem and it seems that since your sword was in her and her hand in your chest you were sealed away with her. He counts you as his greatest failure... I can't imagine what you been through, peace has reigned in Remnant for a thousand years since you and Salem vanished."

Jaune stared in shock and trembled as that statement registered in his head. "A-a thousand years… I have been sealed away for a thousand years!?" Jaune began to struggle against his restraints, but Ruby touched his hand shoulder and Jaune stopped. "W-why did you all wake me up now…"

"That was me… I saw you and I wanted to help, but when I touched the crystal the sealing was undone. I know that you're aren't ready for this new world, but me and my friends will be there for you."

Jaune sighed and looked to Ozpin. "Where is Salem?"

"We couldn't get a hold of her, but she will try to rebuild her army. I want you to train these kids to become huntsmen and huntresses."

"I can't train people, much less kids! Why can't you?" Ozpin leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee.

"There hasn't been a huntsman in centuries so you are all we got. Jaune, you're a soldier unlike any other and Remnant needs you now more than ever. What is your choice?" Jaune closed his eyes and tore off his shackles, before grabbing his sword and smiles softly.

"I am a soldier and I will give everything I am to save Remnant!" Ruby's eyes sparkled looking at him, but then he fainted again out of exhaustion and Ozpin chuckled.

"Welcome to Team Jabberwocky. We have a long way to go…"


	3. Chapter 3

The Queen's First Huntsmen! The Knight's Lesson!

"Zuzu!" Hazel Rainart shouted as his young sister was unconscious and being held by a demonic-looking woman.

"So you are Hazel Rainart? I suppose that you will have to do for now. I have a lot of questions for you."

"I-I know what you are and I won't do anything you say!" Hazel turned to grab his dust crystals, but a small cry froze him in place.

"It would be very foolish to turn your back on me, some pain may befall this sweet little one." Salem had a long nail at the girl's throat and smiled.

"Please, don't harm her! She's just a child!"

"You have a second sister, don't you? What does losing one matter if you have another to replace it? This little one told me a lot about you." Salem walked around the large man. "An ex-soldier, a protector, a hero. I was never one for heroes, I killed so many that their weaknesses blended together, but you interest me. I need help understanding this world and you will help me won't you?"

Hazel thought of his friends and those he protected in his years as a soldier, could he turn his back on everything he fought for? Salem noticed the inner conflict and cut Zuzu a bit, the drop of blood running down his sister's throat made the conflict end.

"I'll do whatever it takes! Don't hurt her!" Salem smiled and touched the little girl's back, a dark black mark appearing on it, and throws her at her brother. "What did you do to her?"

"I gave the girl a wonderful gift but shall you betray me, she will become something grander than a human. Now you will give me any information I need. I want to know everything about this world and about the people you captured during your time as a soldier…

. . .

Jaune groaned as Ruby rushed from place to place, shouting about the different advancements in weapon creation and improvement. Yang smiled and shook her head, walking to Jaune and giving him an empathetic gaze. He looked back at her and mouthed, _save me,_ but the blond brawler shook her head.

"Sorry hero but no force on Remnant could stop her when she is like this. The others and I will go to the park to train a bit so join us when she calms down. After this, we are going to shop for clothes for you, no offense but the ninth century look is kind of outdated."

"You can't leave me here!"

"I can and will! See ya later!"

"Oh, Jaune! There is dust enhancer that will surround your sword with fire and lightning! Ooh, here is a glove that always brings your sword and shield back to you if you lose them!" Ruby grabbed the knight and pulled him away. Yang laughed and gave a small wave before she left to join the others.

"Well, are they coming? We were meant to start training once the knight woke up." Weiss asked and put her hands on her waist.

"They will be caught up in this for awhile so he said that we should go to the park and train to learn each other's style," Yang said as they all walked together. "So how do we do this?"

"A free for all!" Nora shouted as she lifted Magnhild and everyone, but Yang shook their heads.

"I believe that teams of two would work best here as we have the right amount of people for it and Ozpin had already put Ruby with Jaune." Ren said as he kept Nora from attacking the others.

"I agree with Ren, but seeing as Jaune might put us in random teams we should switch partners every few minutes." Pyrrha stated.

"We should start with the person whose style is most familiar," Blake said without looking up from her book. "Pyrrha and Schnee, Ren and I, and Nora and Yang." Blake looked up from her book and shivered at the glare Nora was giving her.

"Okay, black cat! Everyone get with your team member and we'll switch in a bit." Yang walked to Nora and punched her fists together, activating Ember Celica. "Let's show the others how to start things off with a _yang_ " Nora smirked at the pun and swung at the brawler. Yang guarded against the swing and was propelled into a tree, that she jumped off of and flew back at Nora.

"I suppose we have to do this. I'm ready when you are." Blake said as she pulled out Gambol Shroud. Ren bowed in respect and pulled out Stormflower, starting out by shooting at Blake. She shot back and matched each one of his shots, their bullets canceling each other out.

"We won't let them beat us, right Pyrrha?" Weiss took an elegant stance while Pyrrha nodded and took a more offensive one, before taking a few shots at Weiss with Milo. Weiss used her dust to create a large ice block to guard against the bullets then sent the ice at Pyrrha, who cut right through it.

Each team was somewhat even in strength, speed, and style but soon they all turned to a new opponent and were faced with entirely new ways of fighting to them. Weiss had never faced someone as fast as Ren and was forced to stay on the defensive as he did anything to make sure she didn't use her glyphs. Pyrrha did a backflip as Nora smashed the ground and she bashed the girl away with her shield. Nora was too strong to simply be pushed away and Pyrrha focused on short clusters of jabs and slashes before jumping away. Yang faced Blake but each punch she made the agile girl would parry or dodge, then when Yang had lost a bit of energy she would jump back and shoot at her. Yang got angrier with every failure to land a hit and started to attack more furiously.

Yang was getting faster so Blake tried to keep her distance more, but the brawler used her gauntlets to propel herself into the air at Blake, her finishing strike was blocked by the flat end of a blade.

"Calm down Firecracker, this is just training." Jaune chuckled at the nickname and spun his blade in his hand. "It feels good to wield my old friend after so long of being put away. This blade is the only thing that I have that keeps me tied to my time."

"How can a weapon be a friend? It's just a weapon." Weiss said as she dusted herself off.

Ruby gasped and held Crescent Rose close to her heart. "Weiss, how can you say such a mean thing? These weapons are a part of us! They show our personalities and our duty to save the world!"

Jaune rubbed Ruby's head. "Most of the soldiers I trained back in the army had forged their own weapons as a symbol of their dedication to their fight. They put a part of themselves in the weapons so if they were to die people would be able to bring something home. I look at you all and I wonder why did you make your weapons and work so hard to train yourselves to use them, especially since you all were in a time of peace. Was it legacy? Self-improvement? A dream to become a hero? Each one of you is different from the other and exposes a bit of your true self in your weapon, think about that for a while and then come back to me with the answer."

"Why are we doing this? How does this make us better fighters?" Yang asked as she looked at Ember Celica/

"A war can not be won by strength alone and you must be able to know your opponent, but first you must know yourself. " Jaune said and sat down, shooing each one in a different direction. Ruby stayed with him and looked at Crescent Rose.

"Why didn't you send me away?" Jaune smiled at her.

"Because you wear your reason on the chest, a dream to become more than any of the huntsman or huntress that you heard stories of. I wonder something Ruby, why a scythe?" Ruby smiled, recounting the memory of a young girl who jumped in joy when her uncle said that they could design her future weapon. The man looked surprised when she pulled out dozens of crayon drawings with her designs. Between each one there were two things that were consistent.

"Why a scythe?"

"Because silly, you have one!" That was her honest answer, she wanted to make her teacher proud.

"What about a sword? I have one of those too and the last huntsman had one." Ruby pouted and crossed her arms.

"My scythe will beat his sword any day and I'll make scythes cooler than they already are!"

"Sure kiddo, you do whatever you want."

The memory faded and Ruby hugged the weapon close to her. Jaune smiled at her and thought to himself, ' _I guess that no matter how much things change, there are some that never do. It wasn't just a dream that keeps her going, it's something deeper' Now I hope the others can find their truths._

. . .

Blake thought about her past and when she created Gambol Shroud. Adam told her that they would need weapons just in case they were attacked, but that was a lie. The weapons weren't for protecting they were for attacking people who didn't agree with them. Blake lied to herself that every drop of blood Gambol Shroud dropped was for her people, but was that true? She never knew them and only did as told. When she left, she thought that maybe she could fix those mistakes by really saving lives with her weapon.

' _To beat ans opponent you must be able to understand them. Adam is angry about how the Faunus were treated and so am I, but the path he has chosen won't help anyone. I never tried to stop him and even helped him, the one he is now is partially my fault and I will fix this with my hands and Gambol Shroud. I will beat Adam and Salem!'_ Blake ran back to Jaune with her answer.

. . .

Yang punched a tree and looked at the hole that Ember Celica made in the wood. "Know ourselves? I know everything about me and I made these because my sister wouldn't leave me alone." Yang frowned and calmed down, thinking back to when she got into her first fight. It was against a boy three years her senior and she lost badly. Her dad picked her up and, after a lecture about fighting random people, he hugged her and said that he didn't want to see her hurt. She felt back about hurting him, but she wouldn't back down.

Tai smiled and shook his head. "You're just like your mother. She never backed down once she set her mind on something, even if it was the wrong choice. At least let me help you." Tai trained his daughter in hand to hand combat and how to disable a person without hurting them too much. Yang thought of her mother and how her father and uncle talked about her, someone who was strong but confused.

"She wasn't strong, she would have stayed if she was. When we meet, I want an explanation and I will get one. Ember Celica was my way of getting what I want and a path I chose. I made them for myself."

. . .

Weiss shook her head at this _exercise_ and sighed. "I knew that boy must have lost some brain cells after thousand years. I made Myrtenaster because… because…" Weiss wanted to say that it was because of her sister but it was also because it would anger her father. She wanted to show her brother she was a warrior. The weapon was a statement to those that tried to put her down and to the one that believed in her, a statement that she is her own person.

"This weapon was a sign against my father's legacy and showed I am more than a name. I worked hard to learn how to use it because this was something I chose and I made with my own hands. This weapon was my way of speaking out… just like my running away to join Beacon is." Weiss smiled at the weapon and walked back.

. . .

Ren looked at Stormflower and smiled when Nora appeared beside him.

"So what do you think Jaune meant by knowing ourselves and the meaning for our weapons?"

"I think he is asking about the purpose we created them for. We wanted to become people that would protect others since they weren't gonna protect themselves."

"Like when we were forced to…"

"Yeah, like that…" Nora laid her head on Ren's shoulder and smiled at the memory of how they met.

Nora had been homeless since she was young and the kingdoms' constant on and off wars left little places for her to go to. She had been traveling for a few days and nearly collapsed from hunger when a small boy walked up and gave her a bit of candy he didn't want. Nora happily ate it and followed the boy, they spent the day playing together in the woods. Ren and Nora walked to Ren's home and found the village was burning and destroyed. Ren ignored Nora's screams to stay back and ran towards his home, seeing two bodies inside and one gripped a dagger. Ren sobbed falling to his knees and grabbed the blade, before getting pulled away by Nora.

Both vowed to never let this happen again and to end the needless wars. These weapons are a way to change the world to them.

. . .

Pyrrha sighed while looking at her weapons. They were what her mother and father thought would best reflect her style and physique. This was to uphold her family name and make a legacy of her own, but the fame and fortune came at a heavy price. She was lonely and tired of being the champion of Mistral. She had hoped Vale would be better but it was all the same until she met Weiss and the others. Weiss did treat her as an important figure but seemed to understand that she doesn't want the fame. Weiss told her about how she struck out on her own to show to her family that she didn't need them.

"I wish I was that brave…" Pyrrha saw the weapons as proof of her weakness, not strength, they were the chains that she would be forced to wear. Chains of a warrior.

. . .

Jaune smiled as they all joined the group and looked ready to really learn, except there was something else in Pyrrha's eyes.

"I see that you all have given my question thought and had come to an answer. Well, show me what your resolve truly means!" Jaune pulled out his blade and shield and rushed the group, elbowing Ren in the chest. Nora and Yang attacked each side of the knight but he blocked Nora with his shield and Yang with his blade, before moving and making the slam into each other. Weiss used her glyphs and tried to stab Jaune but he moves a bit and held his arm out and she rushed right into it. Jaune turned to face the last two, just as Pyrrha slammed like a rocket into him. Ruby took several slashes at him while he was recovering, but he rolled out of the way and threw his shield at her. Pyrrha was able to match him for a few moments before he headbutted her and put his sword at her throat.

"What was the point of that?" Pyrrha asked while rubbing her head.

"To teach. You are too confident and don't wish to fight." He walks and helps Ruby up "You and Weiss trust that your skills alone are enough to get you through a fight. I know you helped Pyrrha but do try to work with the others. Weiss, you need to be more flexible with your fighting style. Yang and Nora, you both get your emotions under control or they will lead you to defeat. Ren, I kind of just attacked you so just keep your guard up. Now all of you, attack me!"

As Jaune took on his students, Ozpin watched and sipped his coffee. A man was sitting in a tree next to him.

"So that kid is what we have to trust to kill Salem? I really don't like agreeing with Glynda Oz but is it right to trust him?"

"I trust Jaune with my life"

"There is more than your life at stake here. Why don't you or I teach them?"

"I learned that wisdom and power come to people in time and only when it is forced to. They must learn to count on themselves and each other. I trust that they will learn from his teaching and through teaching he will learn."

"What must they learn?"

"To find the power deep within and how to become the heroes they are destined to be."


End file.
